Cold Night in Norman

NORMAN, Okla. – Freshman Mikayla Blakes recorded her fifth 30-plus point game of the season at No. 16/16-ranked Oklahoma, but the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team dropped a 101-81 decision at Lloyd Noble Center.

Blakes registered a game-high 34 points against the No. 16 Sooners. The freshman hit a career-high seven 3-pointers, pulled down four rebounds and dished out three assists on the night. It was Blakes’ fifth outing this season with 30-plus points, which is tied for the fourth-most by a player in NCAA Division I this season and leads all freshmen nationally. The guard also extends her double-digit scoring streak to 13 games, which matches her career-long streak of 13 games to open the 2024-25 season.

No. 16 Oklahoma used a 19-3 run to close the third quarter to turn a four-point Commodore deficit into a 25-point Sooner lead going into the night’s final frame. Oklahoma outscored Vandy 34-17 in the third stanza.

With the loss, Vanderbilt falls to 19-8 on the year and 6-7 in SEC play. The No. 16-ranked Sooners improved to 20-6 and 8-5 in league play.

Sophomore Khamil Pierre registered 11 points to push her double-figure scoring streak to five games with an 11-point performance. Pierre has now scored 10-plus points in 28 of her last 29 games dating back to last season.

Vanderbilt hit a season-high 14 shots from behind the arc on Thursday. It is the third game this season that Vandy has made 13 or more 3-point field goals in a game. The Commodores shot 46.7 percent from behind the arc on the night.

The Dores posted a 35.3 percent field goal percentage, while Oklahoma shot 52.2 percent from the floor. A total of 26 3-pointers were made between the two teams on Thursday, as the Sooners shot 40 percent from behind the arc compared to Vandy’s 46.7 percent. Oklahoma outrebounded Vanderbilt, 54-29, and held an 18-7 edge in second chance points. The Dores did win the turnover battle, 22-14, and outscored the Sooners 21-9 in points off turnovers.

Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Result
“I thought there were stretches again where our team showed two sides. There were times when I felt like we battled and we were super competitive. We missed opportunities offensively and made mistakes defensively. In the second half, the course of the game wore us down in the paint. We got outrebounded 54-29. We’re not going to get any more post players on our team this year, so we have to figure that out. We have to match physicality, go after rebounds and defend. I told our team in the locker room that I feel like we showed who we can be today. We can be super competitive with anyone in our conference. We just have to be that for the full 40 minutes. Unfortunately, we weren’t, and they took full advantage of that. Credit to Oklahoma.”

How It Happened
The two traded blows in the early stages of the first quarter, as a Blakes’ 3-pointer gave the Dores an 11-10 lead at the 6:55 mark. Oklahoma responded with 11-straight points to take a double-digit lead at 21-11. A layup from Blakes with 21 seconds left in the stanza brought an end to a 6-plus minute scoring drought for the Dores, as they headed into the second trailing the Sooners, 21-13.

Oklahoma retook a double-digit advantage at 25-15, but Vandy would use a 9-5 spurt to cut the Sooners’ lead to six at 30-24 with 5:16 left before halftime. That’s where Vanderbilt’s deficit stood, as the Sooners took a 43-37 lead into the locker room.

The Commodores kept battling out of the halftime break, as Vanderbilt opened the third period with four 3-point field goals to pull to within four points of the Sooners at 55-51. Oklahoma would go on a 19-3 run from there to reclaim a double-digit advantage at 77-54 into the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma pushed its lead to as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter concluding the contest with a 20-point victory over the Commodores.

Up Next
Vanderbilt returns to Memorial Gym on Sunday to open its final homestand of the 2024-25 season. The Commodores welcome in No. 6/6 South Carolina for a 2 p.m. contest that streams live on SEC Network+.

Dore Notes

• Freshman Mikayla Blakes scored a game-high 34 points at Oklahoma to record her fifth game with 30-plus points this season
• Blakes’ five 30-point games are the most by an NCAA Division I player this season
• Blakes has scored a total of 89 points over her last two games for an average of 44.5 points per game
• The freshman is now averaging 24.7 points per game against ranked teams this season
• Blakes hit a career-high seven 3-pointers against the Sooners
• The freshman extends her double-digit scoring streak to 13 games to match her career-long streak set over the first 13 games of the 2024-25 season
• Blakes scored double figures for the 26th time this season
• Sophomore Khamil Pierre pushed her double-digit scoring streak to five games with 11 points
• Pierre has scored 10-plus points in 28 of her last 29 games
• Junior Justine Pissott scored a season-best nine points and hit a pair of 3-pointers
• Vanderbilt made a season-high 14 3-pointers
• The Commodores fall to 2-2 all-time vs. Oklahoma and 1-2 in Norman vs. the Sooners
• Tonight’s game was the first-ever SEC contest between the two schools, and it was the first time they squared off since Dec. 16, 2012

Follow Us
For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team, follow @VandyWBB on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.